The End of the Beginning
by Daughter of Bast
Summary: Alternant ending to #54 :The Beginning"


AN: This is an alternant ending to "The Beginning." I don't own the Animorphs. They belong to K.A. Applegate and Scholastic, Inc. This fic is for entertainment purposes only.  
  
  
  
The End of the Beginning  
  
"Did I make a difference? My life ... and my ... my death ... was I worth it? Did my life really matter?!" I demanded of the Ellimist. I stared up at him waiting for an answer while my life quickly trickled away.  
  
"Yes," he said gently. "You were brave. You were strong. You were good. You mattered."  
  
"Well, at least that's something," I replied. I was ready now. At least my death would give Jake and the others a chance. I took one last ragged breath, and then everything stopped.  
  
  
I could sense something at the edge of my mind. I couldn't tell what it was, but the more I tried to focus, the more distinct it became. First sounds, then words, then finally understanding.  
  
I opened my eyes to find my parents standing over my bed. "Rachel? Honey, can you hear me?" my father asked.  
  
"I'm not dead?"  
  
  
It's hard to believe that it's been six months. Six months since the car accident that put me in the hospital. My mom told me that I was in a comma for three weeks. I had hooked up with Melissa at the mall and caught a ride home with her instead of walking home with Casssie, Jake, and the others. A pickup truck ran a stop sign and hit the passenger side of the car where I was sitting. Melissa wound up with a concussion and a broken leg. Mr. Chapman managed to escape with a broken arm and a few cuts.  
  
I still have a hard time believing that the Yeerk invasion was all just a nightmare. It seemed so real. I've never had a dream or nightmare that intense. How do you dream that you die? How do you dream that for two years, you and a handful of others fought against staggering odds to try to keep the Earth from being destroyed?  
  
What scares me the most is my dream self. Was I really that much of an adrenaline junkie? Did I really take all those risks because it was the only time I felt truly alive?  
  
I once heard somewhere that we all have some darkness in us. We are both light and dark; good and evil; god and demon. Which was I, brave or insane? I don't want to know. I don't like the idea that I'm capable of the things I did in my dream.  
  
I shrugged off the bad memories.   
  
I sat next to Cassie at the lunch table the next day. "Hey, Cassie. Do you still want help picking out an outfit for the dance Friday night? I know you want to impress Jake." I said as I grinned at her.  
  
"I can't make it to the dance" she answered.  
  
"Why not? I know you've been looking forward to it for weeks! It took Jake that long just to get up the nerve to ask you out." I demanded.   
  
"My mom wants me to go with her and dad to a meeting over at the Rec. Center. My mom and dad want to spend more 'quality family time' together and they think this will help."  
  
"How can some boring meeting compare to a date with my cousin? Doesn't she know how important this dance is? Jake may never get up the nerve to ask you out again!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. At this rate, Cassie and Jake would finally start dating when the rest of us were fifty.  
  
"I know, I know already. But mom said this is more important than a school dance and that Jake and his family would be there too."  
  
"What kind of meeting is this any way? Jake didn't say anything about it last night when I talked to him on the phone."  
  
"It's a new club. You know, like the YMCA, only for everybody," Cassie answered. "I think it's called 'The Sharing' or something. Rachel, are you all right? Rachel?"  
  
  
  
AN: So what do you think? This is my very first fic, so please be gentle with your reviews. Constructive critisicm is always welcome. Flames will hurt my fragile little ego and break it into a thousand litttle pieces and leave me a broken shell of a person. You don't want to be responible for that do you?  
  
Seriously, I wrote this becasue I didn't like the ending of the Animorphs series. Now before some of you jump all over me, I just want to say, I'm a HUGE Animorphs fan. A friend got me hooked on the series two years ago. I went to the book store and bought "The Invasion" and liked it so much, that I bought the rest of books availible at the time (I think the series was up to #22). I'm just not crazy with the way the series ended. So if you don't agree, that's ok.  



End file.
